Our Chartered Surveyors often see houses where only part of a chimney has been removed, often just the ground floor or ground and first floor, remaining only in the loft.
Homeowners rarely go to the cost of scaffold to remove the chimney above the roof, or may not be able to if it is shared with a neighbour. So if you are only part removing a chimney, what do you need to be wary of?
Stephen Woodward of Woodward Chartered Surveyors Harrow on the Hill office hits the ground running in 2015 and looks forward to an active property market throughout the year ahead – only punctuated by one rather important event in May.
In housing market terms 2015 could be a contradictory year. In some ways the market ....more....
But for 2015 we intend taking things to a whole new level and our wonderful team here at Harrow the office will be doing all sort of things for charity this year...... more
Woodward Chartered Surveyors lost out at this year’s ten pin bowling challenge in Watford to their rivals from Woodward Estate Agents Harrow.
Despite the building Surveyor’s ..... more
As part of our commitment to what Managing Director Stephen Cornish has coined “Life-long Learning”, all Woodward Chartered Surveyors attended the superb Surveyors Conferences in Watford.
The annual event is organised by Michelle Tobias’ leading firm Professional Conferences and this year included such topics as ...... Read more
If you have a flat or apartment sale that is stalling because the buyer is worried the lease might be too short, or if your seller wants to investigate a longer lease before marketing, speak to our Lease and Enfranchisement Department
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The last thing anyone wants is a property sale delayed whilst buyers find the money to pay for their survey or waiting for the surveyors Terms of Engagement to go backwards and forwards in the post.
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Although residential surveying is what we are best known for, Chartered Surveyor Doug Snell started off last week with a schedule of dilapidation for the owner of a butcher’s shop in North West London, later described as “in offal condition” (ouch!).
Doug then went on to inspect a 1930’s first floor flat conversion just down the road for a buyer, finding only “the usual” maintenance items, but pointing out the loft should not be used as a habitable room.
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As you may well know, in our last emailer, sent to our surveying services referral partners, we promised an “Ultimate Cellar Case” for the most successful recommendations in August.
In the recent case of Hubbard v Bank of Scotland both the first instance judge and the Appeal Court decided that the mortgage valuation surveyors Colley’s were not liable to the claimant Mrs Hubbard, due to the limitations of a Mortgage Valuation.
This is a reminder to all that a mortgage valuation is in no way a substitute for a building survey, which should be booked as early in the transaction as possible.
Anyone who thinks “I’ll see what the mortgage valuer says first” runs the risk that if the valuer says nothing or even if they are wrong, the buyer may have no recourse.
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In a recent case Hubbard v Bank of Scotland (trading as Colleys Surveyors) [2014] the Court of Appeal upheld the decision that a building society or bank valuation is a very limited inspection.
During a valuation for the Bank Of Scotland, Colleys’ surveyor
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In 32 years as a Chartered Surveyor Steve Cornish thought he had seen it all. But whilst completing the building survey of a Grade II listed hotel last week for a commercial property client, look what he saw! “The teeth ...more...